Annual Christmas Tree Drop

Bayou Sauvage is one of the largest urban refuges in the country, and for migratory birds marks an important stop on their hemispheric travels. These wetlands provide wildlife habitat, a great place to connect with nature, and help to protect New Orleans from storms.

New Orleans' recycled Christmas trees are collected and used to establish a wave break in open
ponds on the refuge. These tree jetties will create new productive marsh
habitat by reducing erosion, trapping sediment, and building up a plantable structure which will eventually
support native marsh grasses.

The project is a joint effort with the Mayor's Office of
Environmental Affairs; New Orleans Department of Sanitation; and the Louisiana
Army National Guard who use the tree drop as a training exercise - dropping the trees in areas selected by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.

Through
this innovative partnership, new land is created in these areas - about 175 acres of marsh in Bayou Sauvage NWR has been restored through this project.